Holcim Romania to invest EUR 32,000 in supporting vocational education through Holcim Workshops

Bucharest, 28 October 2015: Holcim Romania is officially launching Holcim Workshops, a program to support vocational education among pupils. The main beneficiaries of this educational program are the pupils from grades XI and XII in Alexandru Roman High School in Alesd, and the Technical High School in Câmpulung Muscel.

After a pilot module delivered this year, the program intended for the pupils will be further developed in 2016 and will include a theoretical component and a practical one, throughout five-six weeks. As part of the theoretical module, which will last one week, the pupils from grades XI and XII with a technical specialization from the two partner high schools will find out from Holcim specialists essential information about cement manufacturing, health and safety at work and care for the environment. The pupils will also benefit from non-formal training, aimed at developing their communication and teamwork skills, that will help them integrate the labor market.

Further on, in order to participate in the practical module, the pupils will go through a selection process based on strictly defined acceptance criteria: attendance during the current school year and the average marks obtained during the first semester of the current year. Once these criteria are met, the next step for the acceptance of the pupils in the practical module is an interview with a Holcim representative and a multiple-choice test with mathematical and technical topics.

Once accepted in the practical module, the pupils will spend three to four weeks in one of Holcim plants, where they will learn about the specificities of working in the cement industry (mechanical, electrical and preventive maintenance, cement production processes) and will do practical exercises in the mechanics workshop.

The pupils selected for the practical module will have the opportunity of a hands-on experience in Holcim plants in Alesd and Campulung, some of the most performing and sustainable cement plants within Holcim Group, based on the results of the Holcim Plant Awards, organized every year by Holcim Group.

“Our intention with Holcim Workshops is to support the pupils from the technical high schools in Holcim communities in Romania to become more familiar with the industrial environment. It is important for them to better discover their abilities and skills through in-depth theoretical and practical sessions delivered by our specialists, and to gain confidence in their qualities, so as to become more easily integrated on the labor market. The program also provides an answer to a real challenge felt on the Romanian market, which is the reduced number of skilled craftsmen – in any field of activity – because the number of vocational schools has diminished. 

Through Holcim Workshops, we provide to the local communities our expertise of more than 18 years in the Romanian cement industry, trying to meet these needs by implementing relevant programs”, declared Mădălina Crăciunescu, Organization and Human Resources Director Holcim Romania.

A pilot of the Holcim Workshops took place in 2015, consisting of a three-week vocational education session (theory and practice) in the Technical High School from Campulung, between October and November, and one seven-week session in two stages (May and October) at Alexandru Roman High School in Alesd. During the pilot phase, 88 pupils from both high schools benefited from specific theoretical training delivered by Holcim mentors, and 33 of them were selected for the practical phase in Holcim plants.

About Holcim Romania

Holcim (Romania) S.A. owns 2 cement plants in Campulung and Alesd, one grinding station and a cement terminal in Turda, 14 environment-friendly ready-mixed concrete plants, 3 aggregates plants, 2 special binders plants and one cement terminal in Bucharest. Holcim (Romania) S.A. employs around 800 people. For additional information, please visit the company’s website at www.holcim.ro and on the official Facebook page: facebook.com/holcimromania

Holcim Romania is a member of LafargeHolcim group, which was born following the merger between equals between Lafarge and Holcim in 2015. With over 180 years of combined experience, the Group resulting from the merger aims at entering a new era of leading technologies and innovations in the building materials industry, in order to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.